For Francis Ngannou, it was about more than just money.
During an appearance on "The MMA Hour" on Tuesday, Ngannou broke his silence on why contract negotiations fell apart with the UFC, which led to him relinquishing the heavyweight title and entering free agency. According to “The Predator,” he asked for several stipulations that proved to be a sticking point for the Las Vegas-based promotion. This included the ability to negotiate with outside sponsors, health insurance and having a fighter advocate during negotiations with the UFC.
“What I’ve learned is you don’t go to the table of negotiation expecting to have everything that you want. But at least you want your partner, the other side, to show your willingness or to at least try,” said Ngannou, who also revealed that he was offered in the neighborhood of $8 million to fight Jon Jones at UFC 285.
“I asked for a lot of things, which doesn’t mean I was expecting all those things,” he continued. “I was expecting at least one or two of those things. I asked for the right of a sponsorship, which we’ve been reaped of. We can’t have sponsorship. I asked for health insurance. [I] couldn’t have [it]. I asked for a fighter advocate, somebody in the board meeting who will advocate for the fighters. I asked for that. I couldn’t have those [things] that I asked for. I just wanted [them] to know that there is something that I do want. I also wanted them to think [about] that, at least in consideration.”
In an ideal world, Ngannou wanted a three-fight contract with the UFC, and he would then pursue professional boxing fights against the likes of Tyson Fury or Anthony Joshua. But the promotion was not interested in allowing him to pursue those other endeavors.
“In that contract, I’m not free,” Ngannou said. “I’m not an independent contractor. I have no rights. I hand over all the power to you guys. I’ve seen in the past how you guys can utilize your power against me, and I don’t want that.”
When Dana White announced that Ngannou was a free agent over the weekend, the UFC president attributed the heavyweight’s exit to a desire to face “lesser opponents.” White also claimed that Ngannou weighed more than 300 pounds and was struggling during his recovery from knee surgery. Ngannou, who said he’s closer to 275 pounds, brushed it all off as sour grapes.
“Dana is Dana,” Ngannou said. “I don’t care about what he says. Dana cannot hurt me. From where I come from, I have heard a lot worse than that, and I’m still here. What he said is what he said. It’s his problem. What I know is that I’m here, and I have a good future and I think what he was expressing was frustration because it doesn’t matter what he said.
“Regardless, he’s upset. He’s not happy about the situation. He saw his champion go away, which is probably something that never happened to him.”
For the time being, Ngannou plans on weighing his potential options and finding the deal that best suits his needs. He won’t rule out an eventual return to the UFC, though that would have to occur on his terms.
“The only thing that scares me is regret,” Ngannou said. “That’s the only thing that really scares me, things I’ll regret. So I always make sure I do everything that I can in my power in order to avoid regret.
“I know that I did everything right. I don’t have any regrets. I wouldn’t do anything different if I had to do it again.”
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